Rejections Make the Heart Grow Fonder: The Benefits of Articulating Risks When Declining Social Invitations

Anne Wilson, Ashley Whillans and Tobias Schlager

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2022, vol. 7, issue 1, 124 - 132

Abstract: Across six studies (N=3,591), we explore the interpersonal consequences of COVID-19 risk communication when rejecting social invitations. In study 1, consumers underestimate the benefits and overestimate the social costs of explicitly rejecting social invitations for risk-related reasons. In studies 2a and 2b, consumers are more likely to communicate risk when they are focused on welfare (vs. social) concerns. In studies 3a and 3b, we replicate and extend these results in the context of actual social invitations. In study 4, we observe similar effects in a consumer context, showing the positive benefit of risk communications by brands. Together, these results highlights the unexpected benefits of COVID-19 risk communication.

Date: 2022
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